Solace In The Setting Sun
by MasterFirebender84
Summary: She was a wilted ocean flower, deadened by the loss of her eternal love. On the sandy shores, she finds no bliss, no joy, & no peace from her storm of grief. There was no escape, no respite...but even the darkest of storms must break to alleviating light.


Again, another oneshot for ya'll. :P I would like to apologize to those of you who are patiently awaiting an update for "A Lifetime of Love" and "The River of Hatred Flows Deep in the Heart". Writer's block is majorly killing me on those stories, and school's kind of busy as well. I promise that I'll work harder to try and get those chapters written and uploaded. For now, all of you can enjoy this new oneshot. Please review! :D

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it.

**Solace In The Setting Sun**

A glorious sunset marked the day that the great Avatar Aang was laid to rest.

The sky above the Fire Nation Capitol was alight with a blaze of royal purple and crimson red, mixed in with luscious orange and vivacious magenta. Swirls of maroon and ruby intertwined with these colors, making the sky shimmer with the tapestry of the Spirits. The setting sun shone a grand shade of orange-red, shining its piercing lights into the multicolored heavens above.

As the rays of unyielding light hit the surface of the waves, turning them into a sparkling bed of auburn reflections, a lone woman sat on the vast beach of the Capitol Island, watching the rolling sea with broken and mournful sapphire eyes. She wore the ceremonial clothing of her people, an ocean blue robe with wave-like patterns sewn into the smooth silken cloth. Her billowing hair was a deep gray, marred by the merciless passage of time, and two solitary hair loopies framed her ancient face. Around her neck hung a betrothal necklace, an engraved image of Air and Water coming together as one set upon a rich orange choker.

Her wrinkled tan face was stained with the trails of dried tears, which had been unceasing in their sorrowful torrent for most of the day. She hugged her weary knees to her tired chest, seeking to shelter herself from the cold, cruel world around her…the world that took her beloved husband from her arms.

The man who she had been married to for longer than she could remember...

Gone.

The man who made her smile, day after eternal day…

Gone.

The man whom she had loved with her whole heart and soul…

Gone.

Her soul ached with endless longing for him, for his departure had torn an irreplaceable hole in her battered heart. Each crash of the waves upon the shoreline was echoed with the crashing of her own heart, endlessly torturing her with mind-numbing grief and bone-chilling sorrow.

Reaching up to her neck with delicate hands, she slowly undid her betrothal necklace. She held the precious trinket in front of her shattered eyes, feeling the polished stone caress her aged fingers.

This stone was full of so many wonderful memories; too many for her to remember all in one viewing, too many for her mourning heart to recall all at once.

But there was always one memory she could see when she gazed upon this necklace…

_He was submissively kneeling before her, reverently holding up the most sacred of gifts as he sincerely said, "Katara, I love you. From the day we first met, I have loved you with my whole heart. I have fought to the ends of this earth, from the Northern Water Tribe to the Earth Kingdom and even to the Fire Nation itself, fighting to ensure that this world of ours would live to see another day." He lovingly smiled as he added, "You have always been at my side, through all the fire and flames of an endless war, always the one who kept my chin up through it all. With each and every passing day, you continue to carve a special place in my heart…and now I want you to stay in that place forever." He drew in a deep breath and said, "Katara, my eternal love and Forever Girl, will you marry me?"_

_She happily received the necklace from his tender hands with an overjoyed smile and eagerly placed it around her neck, joyous tears streaming down her exuberant face. "Yes!" she cried out as she threw her arms around him, pulling him into the tightest embrace of his life. "Yes! Yes! Yes! A million times over, yes!"_

A reminiscent smile spread itself on Katara's face as she gazed on the necklace, feeling tears spring to her eyes once more.

"I miss you so much, Aang," she quietly whispered to the necklace, hoping with all her heart that her departed husband could hear her. She gently, lovingly kissed the necklace, desperately trying to send her timeless love to the deceased Avatar through her simple gesture. She replaced the necklace in its usual spot, wiping away her tears away as she looked back out at the ocean.

"Katara?" gently called out a voice from behind her. Katara turned around to see a regal figure strolling towards her; the Fire Lord himself.

"Hello, Zuko," softly said Katara, her voice heavy with grief. The Fire Lord had aged much over the years, his once black hair now a deep charcoal. His amber eyes still shone brightly with life, though the skin of his scar was still taut.

"How are you holding up?" he worriedly asked as he sat next to Katara, his eyes bright with sullen sympathy.

Katara sighed as she turned back towards the sea, wrapping her arms around her knees as she stared down at the sand in front of her feet. "Not that well…" she heavily replied, her eyes half-closed with mournful sorrow. Zuko nodded with grim understanding; his beloved Fire Lady Mai had died just five years prior, and even now his heart was still mourning her. The Fire Lord turned his gaze to the ocean, feeling calmed by the foreign element.

After a long moment of silence, Katara softly said, "Thank you for helping with Aang."

"Mmhmm," affirmatively grunted Zuko as he nodded his head, remembering how the Avatar had been sent out of the mortal world…

_"In keeping with Fire Nation tradition," he announced to the crowd, "we will now honor Aang as we would honor our own dead. I alone will administer this final right to my old friend."_

_He turned his attention to the funeral pyre, much like the one his grandfather had been on, which was adorned with decorations of the four nations. The lifeless body of Aang lay on the pyre, his ancient eyes closed and his cold hands crossed across his frail chest. He could feel his chest heave, knowing that he was going to give Aang the same privilege that had been given to his Uncle…_

_He was proud to be doing so._

_He drew his arms up to his chest, inhaling a large swath of air into his nose. He quickly stepped forward and punched his right fist, sending an endless stream of flames at the pyre. The structure immediately burst into flames, the crackle of snapping wood filling the somber air. For what seemed like hours, the roar of fire blasted in his ears, drowning out everything else so that he could focus on his grim task._

_After nearly ten minutes, he knew that his task was completed. He cut off the flow of chi, killing his fire with it. He stood up straight, seeing the pyre burn brightly with proud flames. He saw nothing through the obscuring flames, and he knew that the Avatar's body was nothing but ashes now._

_His stoic and respectful visage was broken as he felt tears fill his eyes. "Good-bye, Aang," he whispered to the pyre as his tears fell, no longer afraid to cry._

"He deserved such an honor," firmly said Zuko, feeling the calm sea breeze rustle the long hair that wasn't in his top-knot. He looked at his companion as he added, "His ashes will be well-guarded in Ba Sing Se."

"Hmm," murmured Katara as she slowly nodded her head, remembering that the Earth Kingdom Capitol would become the final resting place for her husband, a shrine erected in the honor of the Air Nomad Avatar. His remains had not begun the journey there; that step would occur in two weeks, enough time for the people of the Fire Nation as well as the visiting nations to pay their final respects. Her heart would never be finished paying its respects, for she was forever attached to Aang.

"For what it's worth, Katara," kindly said Zuko, "I truly am sorry about Aang." The elderly Waterbender closed her eyes as the Fire Lord added, "He was a great friend to all of us, and we're all really going to miss him."

"Things will never be the same without him," quietly said Katara as she opened her eyes, her eyes filling with stinging tears.

"I know," softly affirmed Zuko, "but he knew that his time had come and that the Avatar Cycle had to continue, even if we didn't want him to leave now." He offered her a sympathetic smile. "At least he was able to teach Tenzin how to Airbend. If it weren't for your son, the Avatar Cycle would have died along with Aang."

A small flash of pride shone in Katara's eyes, and a tiny smile creased her lips. Tenzin was the youngest of her three children that she had with Aang, and he was also the only Airbender out of the three. Zuko was indeed right; because of Tenzin, the ways of the Air Nomads would live on, ensuring that the Avatar would live on as well.

"Yes…" softly said Katara with a smile as she dropped her hands to the ground, feeling the fine grains of sand slip between her fingers. She straightened her legs out as she added, "Tenzin was his pride and joy."

"I thought all of his children were his pride and joy?" jokingly asked Zuko, knowing he was getting through to Katara.

"Of course they were," mirthfully chuckled Katara as she looked over at Zuko. "Tenzin just happened to be his third pride and joy, that's all." Gesturing to Zuko, she added, "You were the same way with your own children, remember?"

"How could I forget?" laughed Zuko as he rolled his eyes, eliciting another chuckle from the Waterbender. Zuko sighed as he looked back out at the sun, and soon Katara followed his example. "In fact, there's no way any of us could _ever_ forget about Aang."

Katara agreeably nodded as she said, "You said it." Her reminiscent smile returned as she said, "All those adventures we had with him over the years, all the struggles we faced…it would be impossible for us to forget what Aang did for all of us. He was the reason why we all met each other."

Zuko shrugged as he said, "Granted, my first meeting with you guys was when I was still trying to capture Aang. Kind of a weird way to meet someone, if you ask me."

"You think that's weird?" asked Katara with a laugh, feeling her light-hearted self slowly return from her bottomless depths of grief. "I was the one who freed him from the iceberg. Now _that_ was weird."

"True," said Zuko with a nod, remembering that fateful day of not so long ago. He let out a long sigh, turning his gaze towards the painted sky. "I never thought I'd see Aang's Firebending take on such a magnificent form."

"What are you talking about?" confusedly asked Katara as she looked over at Zuko, a perplexed look on her face.

"There's a legend here in the Fire Nation that says that whenever the Avatar is reincarnated, the previous Avatar and all of his or her past lives would come together as one and travel with the sun. All the Firebending skills of every past Avatar are etched into the sky as the sun moves across the sky, creating the most breathtaking sight you've ever seen." A wondrous smile came across his lips as he added, "It's like all the Avatars are not only celebrating the life of the most recent Avatar, but also the birth of the new Avatar." Looking over at Katara with a joyous smile, he happily added, "That means that Aang was reincarnated some time ago, probably after the funeral ceremony."

There was so much conviction in Zuko's voice about this legend that Katara couldn't help but smile at the thought of her Aang flying through the sky with his past lives, crafting a heavenly image that no artist could ever dream of capturing. "I believe you," she cheerily said, causing the Fire Lord's smile to widen. A sea breeze blew through them at that moment, and a strange sort of force seemed to take hold of them. Their gaze turned out to the ocean, and Katara saw something floating on the wind. As the small object drew closer, she was surprised to see that it was a Fire Lily. The flower floated up to the Waterbender, gently landing in her lap. Zuko and Katara stared at the flower, too stunned for words.

Finally, Zuko merrily chuckled as he said, "It seems that Aang's given you one last gift." Katara cupped the flower in her tender palms and brought it up to her face, smiling at the plant as she felt her tears return.

"So it seems," whispered Katara as her tears sprinkled the Fire Lily, making the ruby flower sparkle in the evening light. She closed her eyes and hugged the flower to her chest, feeling Aang's presence all around her.

_I will always be in your heart,_ _Katara, _the wind seemed to whisper, filling her ears with the ghostly echo of her soul mate's voice. _Never forget me for as long as you live, and I promise you that we will be together again one day. Good-bye, Forever Girl…I love you._ The wind died down as Katara opened her eyes, her wrinkled face streaming with tears as she sadly smiled at the setting sun.

"I promise, Aang," she sincerely said to the sun. "I promise to always keep you in my heart, and I will always remember the wonderful life we shared together." She paused to wipe away her tears and added, "Rest in peace, my treasured Aang. I love you, and I always will."

Zuko stayed where he was and smiled at this touching scene, knowing that it was just like Aang to do something like this. Even when he was gone, Aang never failed to bring a smile to those closest to him, and Katara was certainly no exception. He could feel Katara's love for the Avatar burning in his noble heart, a flame that made him feel so full of life and energy.

Katara turned her gaze back to the Fire Lord and gratefully said, "Thank you, Zuko."

"All I did was come to cheer you up," modestly said Zuko, eliciting an amused smile from Katara.

"You did much more than cheer me up," she truthfully said. Gesturing to the heavens above, she added, "You showed me that even when Aang's gone, he'll always be a part of our world. He'll always be a part of the lives of the people he's touched, and our friendship with him will live on long after we've all passed on."

"You mean that our friendship with Aang will transcend even our lifetimes?" inquisitively asked Zuko.

"Exactly," chirped Katara with a smile.

Now it was Zuko's turn to smile as he said, "I believe you." Gesturing to the sky once more, he asked, "Now how about we watch Aang paint his Firebending masterpiece in the sky?"

"It would be my pleasure," amiably said Katara, turning her gaze skyward. The Fire Lord followed her gaze, feeling his connection to Aang grow stronger with each passing second.

It was an evening they would remember forever.


End file.
